Sources of Happiness in Children from Different Socioeconomic Backgrounds: An Exploratory Study

BackgroundSocioeconomic inequalities in overweight and obesity exist in many European countries. A sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) tax may contribute to a reduction of these inequalities. However, in the Netherlands, the government decided to not (yet) introduce an SSB tax, although the government has acknowledged its potential to be pro-equity. Understanding how various stakeholder groups perceive the potential effects of an SSB tax on different socioeconomic groups may provide useful insights into equity-related considerations in the debate whether or not to implement an SSB tax. This study aims to gain insight into the perceptions of stakeholder groups in the Netherlands on (1) the effects of an SSB tax on the budgets of lower and higher socioeconomic groups and (2) the impact of an SSB tax on socioeconomic inequalities in dietary intake and health.MethodsSemi-structured interviews were conducted in 2019 with 27 participants from various stakeholder groups in the Netherlands (i.e. health and consumer organizations, health professional associations, trade associations, academia, advisory bodies, ministries and parliamentary parties). Data were analyzed using a thematic content approach.ResultsParticipants from all stakeholder groups indicated that an SSB tax would have a larger impact on the budgets of lower socioeconomic groups. Participants from nearly all stakeholder groups (except trade associations) mentioned that an SSB tax could have greater health benefits among lower socioeconomic groups as these often have a higher SSB consumption and are more likely to be overweight or obese. Some participants mentioned that an SSB tax may have no or adverse health effects among lower socioeconomic groups (e.g. compensation of lower SSB consumption with other unhealthy behaviours). Some participants emphasised that an SSB tax should only be introduced when accompanied by other interventions (e.g. offering healthy alternatives), to make it easier for lower socioeconomic groups to lower their SSB consumption in response to an SSB tax, and to prevent adverse health effects.ConclusionsParticipants believed an SSB tax could contribute to a reduction in socioeconomic inequalities in dietary intake and health. However, additional interventions facilitating the reduction of SSB consumption in lower socioeconomic groups were recommended.

Aims: To examine social inequality in exposure to bullying at school among adolescents and changes in social inequality over time. We applied data from seven nationally representative school surveys in 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 in Denmark, the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) study. Methodology: The study population was 11-, 13- and 15-year-olds, response rate 87.9%, N=33,460 with comparable data about exposure to bullying and socioeconomic status. The analyses included 1) absolute social inequality, i.e. percent difference in exposure to bullying between low and high socioeconomic groups and 2) relative social inequality based on logistic regression analyses with odds ratios for exposure to bullying by socioeconomic background. Results: The prevalence of exposure to bullying decreased from 24.4% in 1994 to 4.9% in 2018. Bullying was significantly most prevalent among schoolchildren from lower socioeconomic groups. The absolute social inequality decreased from 10.7% in 1994 to 3.9% in 2018. The relative social inequality was 1.30 (1.19-1.43) in middle and 1.77 (1.59-1.96) in low socioeconomic group, compared to high. There was no significant change in relative social inequality from 1994 to 2018. Conclusion: In the period 1994 to 2018 with substantial reduction in exposure to bullying at school there was a decrease in the absolute social inequality and an unchanged relative social inequality in exposure to bullying.

It is important to understand the reasons for companion animal relinquishment to help reduce the financial and ethical problems arising from too many dogs and cats in shelters. This study investigates the socioeconomic factors and reasons behind companion animal relinquishment in Australia, utilizing data from five animal shelters, over a five-year period (Financial Year 2018/19 to 2022/23). Descriptive statistics reveal that the median Index of Relative Socio-Economic Advantage and Disadvantage (IRSAD) decile of companion animal guardians who relinquished their companion animal was decile 4 out of 10, indicating that they live in areas of lower-than-average socioeconomic status. Cats accounted for 59.4% and dogs for 40.6% of all relinquishments, with more relinquishments from lower socioeconomic deciles (1-5) (cats: 62.6%, dogs: 65.8%). The median age of relinquished cats was 5 months and dogs 16 months, with human factor-related issues (e.g., Housing, Financial Constraints, Human Healthcare) cited in 86% of cases. Descriptive analysis for the five financial years shows a declining trend in numbers of relinquishments, with housing issues (31.2%) identified as the primary reason, followed by ownership decisions (16.2%), financial constraints (11.2%), and human health issues (10.4%). Comparing the reasons for relinquishment between lower (decile 1-5) and higher (decile 6-10) socioeconomic status demonstrated that financial difficulties were a more common reason in lower vs. higher socioeconomic groups, while human health and family-related issues are more common in higher vs. lower socioeconomic groups. These findings highlight the critical role of socioeconomic factors in understanding why people relinquish their companion animals, which can inform targeted interventions to support companion animal welfare across different socioeconomic backgrounds.

Oral and dental health significantly impacts the quality of life and nutrition of the older population. While government action has been taken in Israel to reduce barriers to using dental care services by welfare recipients among the older adults, there are still disparities associated with socioeconomic status in the older adult population. In 2019, a dental care reform for the older adults was implemented in Israel assuring dental Universal Health Coverage (UCH) for them. This improves accessibility to dental services and reduce cost barriers. To explore the oral health disparities among 65+ age group by their economic situation and their additional barriers to using dental services at the start of the reform. Telephone interviews were conducted with a representative sample of 512 older adults aged 65+ from February to April 2020. The self-perceived oral health status was rated as better in the higher socioeconomic group (73.4% perceived their oral health status as good or very good), compared with the lower socioeconomic group (52.5%). In the lower socioeconomic group, 38.5% were edentulous, compared with 18.1% of the higher socioeconomic group. The latter had 4 more natural teeth, on the average, than the former. Double and triple gaps were also found in the prevalence of dental problems - loose, sore, and sensitive teeth, and difficulty chewing. Oral health behavior - as reflected in tooth brushing patterns and routine preventive check-ups - was found to be better in the higher socioeconomic group than that in the lower socioeconomic group. Dental care costs were found to be a barrier to dental care, primarily in the lower socioeconomic group (18.2%, compared with 4.8% of the higher socioeconomic group, were faced with a financial barrier). At the same time, (66.7% of the higher socioeconomic group were aware of the inclusion of dental care services for the older adult population in the basket of health services provided by the health plans, compared with 27.8% of the lower socioeconomic group. Lack of awareness to proper oral health behavior and to the legal rights are main barriers to dental care in the lower SEG. The dental practitioners have a vital role and an excellent opportunity to lower these barriers. Still existing disparities and barriers should be monitored as vital part of including dental care in UHC.

Depression is an important health problem in children and the onset of depression is occurring at a younger age than previously suggested. The associations of being overweight and low socioeconomic status in childhood depression have been well documented; nevertheless few studies have addressed the combined effects of socioeconomic status and body weight, with depression in school-age children. We intended to examine if the relationship between socioeconomic status and childhood depression could be modified by abnormal body weight. A cross-sectional study was performed with a total of 559 subjects from 29 elementary schools in Taiwan. A depression scale was used to determine the depression status. Children receiving governmental monetary assistance for after-school class were categorized as being in the lower socioeconomic group. Data for depression-related demographic characteristics, family and school variables were collected. Children in the lower socioeconomic status group have a higher prevalence of depression (23.5%) than those in higher socioeconomic status groups(16.4%). Being overweight demonstrates the opposite effect on depression risk in the different socioeconomic groups. In lower socioeconomic families, the risk of depression in overweight children is three times higher than that for normal weight children; whereas in higher socioeconomic families, overweight children have a lower risk for depression than normal weight children. We concluded that a qualitative interactive effect existed between being overweight and socioeconomic status with childhood depression. More attention should be paid to overweight children from lower socioeconomic status families to prevent depression in school-age children.

The purpose of this study is to study anxieties of mothers related to their children’s future. Qualitative method was used in order to study anxieties of mothers from different socio-economic levels. Sample of the study participants are 129 mothers living in Istanbul. 32 of those mothers are from upper socio-economic level, 57, from middle socio-economic level and 40, from lower socio-economic level. A half-structured interview form designed by researcher was used as data collection instrument. Descriptive analysis technique was used in interview analysis according to qualitative data analysis. Ä°n the result of the study, anxieties about their children not having a good education, having bad friends, not having a job with which they would be happy, having health problems, not being able to find a good job are frequently observed. All mothers in lower, middle and upper socio-economic groups are anxious about their children having a good education. This was strikingly the leading factor in lower and middle socio-economic groups. Problems are the leading anxiety factor in upper socio-economic group. Mothers in lower socio-economic group did not utter anxiety about their children not maintaining family ties, not realizing their children, having no child, having no social reputation. Key words: Anxiety, anxiety about future, mothers.

Consumer locus of control is a key factor in purchase decisions, where consumers perceive outcomes as either dependent on or external to their own actions. These beliefs vary among individuals from different socioeconomic backgrounds, except when it comes to consumption. However, the assumption of measurement invariance across all socioeconomic groups has not been proven. To address this, a study was conducted to develop, validate, and test the invariance of the Consumer Locus of Control Scale. The first study (n = 300) involved exploratory factor analysis and reliability testing. The second study (n = 309) examined confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and discriminant validity, and measurement invariance. Results showed high explained variance and internal consistency. The five-factor structure demonstrated a good fit, supporting the scale's structural validity. Furthermore, the scale was invariant between high and low socioeconomic groups. This study provides valuable evidence for the reliability and validity of the Consumer Locus of Control Scale.

Impact of socioeconomic status on municipal solid waste generation rate

Previous researchers have identified socioeconomic status as a significant predictor of achievement/literacy. However, it is important to recognize that the influence of socioeconomic status on literacy may vary at different levels of socioeconomic status. Thus, this study analyzes the relationship between socioeconomic status and literacy scores for all domains in PISA Türkiye data from 2003 to 2022 through the Classification and Regression Trees and linear regression methods. Upon examining the results, separate investigations carried out for the lower and upper socioeconomic status groups indicate that R2 values were found to be equal to or greater than .80 in 37 out of the 42 analyses. From 2003 to 2009, the R2 values in both groups were considerably high; however, there has been a notable decline in subsequent periods. The year 2009 demonstrated particularly high R2 values by ESCS in all domains for both upper and lower groups. Consequently, socioeconomic status exhibited a greater predictive power on literacy scores across all domains in the lower socioeconomic group than upper socioeconomic group.

Association and potential mediators between socioeconomic status and childhood overweight/obesity

Objective This study investigated the link between socioeconomic status and unplanned dental presentations at the Perth Children's Hospital (PCH), as well as the link between the socioeconomic status of unplanned dental patients and any previous admissions to the PCH. Methods Records of 351 unplanned visits to the PCH were collected, including reason for attendance (infection, trauma, other), the patient's residential location (suburb) and the history of any previous presentations at the PCH. The socioeconomic status of each patient was based on the Index of Relative Socio-Economic Disadvantage, divided into quintiles. Geographic information systems (GIS) were used to spatially map the residential locations of the patients with unplanned dental presentations. QGIS was used to map and geocode the data. Analysis of variance and Chi-squared tests were used to determine associations between subgroups and other variables. Results 'Unplanned dental presentation' in this study refers to patients who present without an appointment, including by referral from the emergency department of the PCH or outside the PCH. Approximately two-thirds of unplanned dental presentation among patients from low socioeconomic groups were for dental infection, whereas the major reason for presentation among patients from higher socioeconomic groups was trauma. More than half the patients in low socioeconomic groups had at least one previous presentation at the PCH due to other medical issues. Conclusion Children from low socioeconomic groups, or from outside of Perth, were more likely to present with dental infections, which are mostly preventable at the primary care level; these patients often presented a more significant burden to the health system. Public health interventions should aim to promote preventive oral health care, especially for children from low socioeconomic groups. What is known about the topic? In Western Australia, the most common dental problems requiring hospitalisation among children is dental caries, and children from the lowest socioeconomic backgrounds have the highest prevalence of dental hospitalisations. What does this paper add? Children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds were more likely to have an unplanned presentation at the only tertiary children's hospital in Western Australia due to dental infection. What are the implications for practitioners? Improved access to public dental services, especially in low socioeconomic areas, and the development of more strategies to reduce unplanned dental presentations at a tertiary hospital are needed.

Income inequality has steadily increased in Suriname and it is considered to be at one of the highest levels in the Caribbean. This chapter analyses socio-economic and ethnic segregation between 2004 and 2012 in the Greater Paramaribo Region in Suriname. To investigate the link between income inequality and socio-economic segregation, occupation is used as a proxy for socio-economic status. The Dissimilarity Index is used to evaluate the level of segregation between different socio-economic and ethnic groups. The link between ethnicity and socio-economic status is also analysed. Results show that the highest level of socio-economic segregation exists between the higher socio-economic group (top occupational categories) and the lower socio-economic group (bottom occupational categories). It was also found that even though the Region is ethnically diverse, different ethnic groups tend to concentrate in different neighbourhoods. These segregated ethnicities are in turn linked to the higher and lower level socio-economic groups.

South Africa’s history of inequality and injustice has influenced its diverse population, who continue to experience marginalisation despite the era of democracy. These underserved communities have little access to services that support their children’s language and literacy development. The researchers argue that early intervention supports language and literacy skills of children in early childhood development centres (ECDs), improving literacy acquisition and future scholastic progress. This paper demonstrates that a collaborative approach in ECD interventions influences children’s language and literacy skills, and supports their learning. The aim of the study was to establish the levels of emergent literacy and language skills of the children pre- and post-teacher intervention. An exploratory quantitative and qualitative approach was employed with 20 participants from two ECD facilities, 10 from a middle socioeconomic (MSE) group and 10 from a lower socioeconomic (LSE) group. An adapted measure on concepts of print was conducted pre- and post-intervention. Oral reading and one-on-one reading strategies were presented to the teacher from the LSE ECD. Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics, and content analysis. The findings indicate no difference in vocabulary between LSE and MSE groups, despite the MSE group having better resources at their disposal. Furthermore, there was a significant increase in the LSE group’ s knowledge on print concepts post - intervention. The teacher observed changes in the teaching methods and in the children’s literacy, confirming that low-cost short-term programmes and collaborations do influence ECD teaching and learning. The collaborative role of the speech-language therapist should support both parents and teachers of children in ECD contexts.

Association between socioeconomic status and burn injury severity

BackgroundIncreasing social inequalities in health across Europe are widening the gap between low and high socio-economic groups, notably in the prevalence of obesity. Public health interventions may result in differential effects across population groups. Therefore, the EPHE (EPODE for the Promotion of Health Equity) project analysed the added value of community-based programmes, based on the EPODE (Ensemble Prévenons l’Obésité Des Enfants-Together Let’s Prevent Obesity) model, to reduce socio-economic inequalities in energy balance-related behaviours of children and their family-environmental related determinants in seven European communities. This study presents the changes between baseline and follow-up after the one-year interventions and their sustainability one year after.MethodsThis is a prospective study with a one school-year intervention, followed by one year of follow-up. In all, 1266 children (age 6-8 years) and their families from different socio-economic backgrounds were recruited at baseline. For 1062 children, information was available after one year (T1) and for 921 children after two years (T2). A self-reported questionnaire was completed by the parents to examine the children’s energy balance-related behaviours and family- environmental determinants. Socio-economic status was defined by the educational level of the mother. The Wilcoxon signed-rank test for paired data was used to test the differences between baseline and intermediate, and between intermediate and final, measurements for each of the socio-economic status groups.ResultsPost-intervention effects in energy-balance related behaviours showed the following improvements among the low socio-economic status groups: increased fruit consumption (Netherlands), decreased fruit juices amount consumed (Romania) and decreased TV time on weekdays (Belgium). Whereas in only the latter case the behavioural change was accompanied with an improvement in a family-environmental determinant (monitoring the time the child watches TV), other improvements in parental rules and practices related to soft drinks/fruit juices and TV exposure were observed. A few of those effects were sustainable, notably in the case of Belgium.ConclusionsInequalities in obesity-related behaviours could be potentially reduced when implementing community-based interventions, tailored to inequality gaps and using the EPODE methodology. Within-group changes varied widely, whereas monitoring of interventions and process evaluation are crucial to understand the observed results.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12939-016-0438-1) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.